What are the benefits of keeping a “headache diary”?
Self-knowledge in monitoring your headaches and subtle physical cues is the foundation for successful migraine management. Tracking your progress with a diary provides facts that help your clinician work with you to gain control over disabling headaches. Being aware of how you function between attacks of migraine helps the clinician judge the effectiveness of your treatment strategy. The headache calendar/diary is an invaluable tool for self-assessment, enabling you to record the frequency of migraine days, the number of days without reduced productivity, the quantity of medications used, or the quality of life that your are experiencing while managing your migraines. Monitoring and reporting changes in mood, irritability, sleep, anxiety, reaction to changing weather, or weight gain provide essential medical information that can significantly improve medical decision-making. Keeping a detailed diary will provide a basis for discussion with your healthcare provider. Once you see that mi
